


A Peace in the Night

by phoenixquest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Deathly Hallows, F/M, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:56:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1303999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixquest/pseuds/phoenixquest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny can't sleep the night before Bill's wedding, so she goes outside to think. Harry finds her, and they finally get a chance to talk.</p><p>Also posted on DeviantArt under the same username.</p><p>Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling, not me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Peace in the Night

Ginny wrapped the throw more tightly around her shoulders. Even in August, nights at the Burrow could get chilly, and it was definitely night. The night before her oldest brother’s wedding, in fact. Maybe that was why she couldn’t sleep.

Or not.

She sighed. She knew it was due to that no good, rotten, amazing, wonderfully noble Harry Potter. That stupid git who wouldn’t even let her finish giving him his birthday present. Okay, so it was her stupid brother’s fault, not Harry’s. Stupid interfering Ron who didn’t even know when to butt out! Interfering, overprotective, overbearing, and _stupid_. He had to ruin the perfect moment! Ginny stomped her foot in sheer frustration.

“Er, sleep-stomping?” a voice behind her asked. She whirled around needlessly, already knowing exactly who had spoken. Ginny grinned sheepishly as she saw Harry’s green eyes staring at her.

“Just thinking about some frustrating things,” she explained. Harry grinned back for a moment before it quickly faded. “So what are you doing out here?” Ginny asked. They were whispering, though neither was quite sure why.

“Well, I…er,” Harry stumbled. Ginny raised an expectant eyebrow. “I was sort of…following you,” he admitted.

“How did you even know I was out here?” Ginny asked, pulling her hair out from under the throw wrapped around her. Harry was momentarily distracted by the way the moonlight shone on it.

“I was awake too; I was in the kitchen when you walked by. What are you doing out here?”

“Like I said, I was just…er…thinking,” Ginny stated rather lamely.

Neither of the two seemed to want to confess their real reasons for being outside on a chilly August night together.

“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” Ginny asked. Harry nodded. “You won’t be here for my birthday.”

“Ah…yeah, sorry about that,” Harry said, ducking his head.

“Look, Harry – ”

“Look, Ginny – ”

Their eyes met as they both laughed softly.

“Go ahead,” Harry encouraged. Ginny sighed – where to begin?

“Okay,” she murmured. “I was going to say, Harry, I understand what you’re doing, and I understand it must be important, but I just can’t let you go –”

“Ginny, I understand how you feel,” Harry interrupted. “I don’t want to go, either. It’s going to be so difficult. But this is something I have to do.”

Ginny smirked. “Thanks for letting me finish. I was going to say, I just can’t let you go without telling you that I’ll wait for you. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Oh,” Harry said. “Oops.”

Ginny stepped closer to him. “Harry, I know this is something you have to do. I respect that. I’m not happy about it, but can you blame me?” Her resolve thickened and she stepped over next to him, slowly wrapping her arms around him. He put his around her without even thinking about it.

“Harry,” Ginny whispered. Harry stared into her eyes. “Kiss me,” she murmured, staring back. Harry hesitated.

“Gin…um,” he started. A hurt look crept into her eyes and it tore at him. Ginny started to pull away. He didn’t want her to. He couldn’t stop his hands from grasping her arms to keep her in place around him. “Ginny, I…I can’t do this,” he whispered, still holding her to him. She actually laughed.

“Send mixed signals much?” she giggled. He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“You’re holding me, and saying you can’t,” she explained. He smiled ruefully.

“I can’t make myself let you go,” he whispered again. “But I did promise…” he trailed off.

“What? What did you promise to whom?” Ginny asked, her anger flaring up again. If Ron had anything to do with this…

“Well…when Ron caught me in your room…” 

Ginny let out an angry growl. “I don’t bloody care what Ron said! It is not his decision and it is not his life. He needs to get over it and realize-” Harry started laughing and Ginny abruptly stopped talking, her angry eyes flashing at him now.

“You’re adorable when you’re angry,” Harry murmured.

“Harry bloody Potter, don’t you dare even think of making fun of me, or I swear I’ll curse you so bad-”

She was cut off when Harry made up his mind to lean down and kiss her hard on the lips. She melted into him. It was as though nothing else mattered, just the two of them there, under the stars. All Ginny’s anger flew out of her.

Meanwhile Harry was warring with himself. He’d told Ron he wouldn’t do this. He knew it was wrong, he knew he was just going to leave her, and yet he couldn’t care less. This was his Ginny, tight in his arms, and that’s all he could make himself worry about. He pulled her tighter and their kiss deepened.

As they finally broke apart, Harry’s chest constricted. He was going to leave this. Was he a complete idiot?

“Ginny-” He began.

“I don’t give a bugger what my git of a brother says,” Ginny interrupted. Harry smiled and pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her.

“Hear me out, Gin,” he asked. “I’ve got to leave. I have things to do, and I don’t know if I’m going to make it back to you. You can’t know how much I want to, but I can’t promise you something like that. I want to know that if something happens to me, you’ll move on. You deserve so much more than I can give you now, and more than I may ever be able to give you.”

“Harry, shut up,” Ginny grinned. “It doesn’t matter in the slightest to me what you say, I will be right here waiting for you when - not if - you come back to me, and that’s that.” Harry sighed.

“Ginny, I don’t want to hurt you. I want so much for you to be happy, and safe. Give me that to come back to; a happy, safe, unhurt Ginny.” 

Ginny nodded. “I can try.” They embraced for a while longer. Harry leaned down to sniff Ginny’s hair, and inhaled the flowery aroma deeply.

“I’ll miss you, Gin,” Harry sighed.

“I’ll miss you, too, Harry,” Ginny whispered, her voice cracking. _Ginny, you promised yourself you wouldn’t cry, don’t start now!_ She sternly lectured herself. She buried her head in Harry’s chest to try and hide the tears that were escaping despite her best efforts.

Harry could feel her shaking and hugged her tighter.

“Oh, Gin, I’m no good with crying girls,” Harry reminded her, trying to lighten the mood. She giggled through her tears.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I just can’t help it. I’ll be so worried about you, and Ron and Hermione, and-”

“The only thing you need to worry about is keeping yourself safe. Remember? You promised me.”

Ginny nodded solemnly and pulled away to look up at Harry.

“I got your shirt wet,” she mumbled. Harry smiled as he reached up to brush her tears with his fingers.

“I don’t mind.” He wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her toward him to kiss her. He tried to fit as much feeling into that one kiss as he could. It seemed to go on forever.

When they finally broke apart, Ginny was no longer crying, but Harry felt as though his heart was breaking in two. At the moment he found it hard to remember why it was he had to leave her, and why he couldn’t just stay with her forever.

“Will you dance with me at the wedding?” Ginny asked quietly, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer. Harry shook his head slowly.

“No,” he said softly. “I can’t. I did promise Ron, and I need him to not hate me. I need him on my side, and I can’t make him angry. Please understand,” he begged her. Ginny smiled sadly.

“I figured you’d say that,” she said. “Don’t worry, I do understand.”

“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow,” Harry whispered. “Can you meet me out here tomorrow night?”

“Of course,” Ginny said with a smile.

Harry thought for a moment.

“I know I said we can’t dance tomorrow,” he began. “But…”

“Harry, I’d love to dance with you tonight,” Ginny finished for him, her grin lighting up her face.

They stood there in the moonlight, arms around one another, pretending that just for this precious moment in time, all was well. They were together, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
